It was a windy night. The stars were shining brightly in a clear summer sky. The fire blazed as Eugene cooked their dinner over it. Everything was peaceful. And Rapunzel couldn't stop thinking about Varian. "I still feel guilty. I know it wasn't entirely my fault but I should've been there for him. I should've been able to help him. He did have a reason not to trust me. I did break my promise." she spoke out of the blue, breaking the silence.
"Raps, stop wasting your time thinking about that criminal." Cassandra said bluntly.
"Do you honestly believe that's all he is now?" Eugene said so quietly they weren't sure if he'd spoken at all.
"Cass, Eugene's right. Just because he made some mistakes doesn't mean he's all that bad. Eugene used to be a criminal. Lance was too, well I'm not sure if he's stopped stealing entirely, but you know what I mean. You were friends with him once too. You know how sweet the kid was. Losing his father changed him." Rapunzel reasoned.
"Hey!" Lance yelled indignantly from where he was, it surprised them a bit as they thought he was already asleep.
"Just because he was going through something doesn't mean he should attack his kingdom and kidnap the queen!" Cass almost yelled, ignoring Lance.
Rapunzel winced. The memories and the fear and grief that went with them were still fresh. "Don't you think I know that? Don't you know how much I hated him for doing that? But I knew that he had every right to hate me too. I still don't trust him, and I know that he has to endure the consequences of his actions, but I know we can still help him. Honestly, you know what else scares me? The fact that I probably would've done the same if I was in his situation." Rapunzel murmured.
Cassandra and Eugene sighed. "I know I wish I could've been there for him too. The kid looked up to me. What I went through wasn't half as much as what he has. You know why? Because Rapunzel saved me. He just needs to find the right person to save him."
Rapunzel's eyes went wide as it usually did when she had an idea, "That's perfect Eugene! We need the person he cares about or looks up to most, other than his father of course, to give him some positivity! His hatred will at least be lessened, and maybe over time, it'll make a difference. Maybe he'll be whole again one day. Why don't you write him a letter to cheer him up, ask him how he's been. I'm sure anything can make a difference when you're in a jail cell with nothing to do but build up your hatred."
Eugene replied,"That's a great idea, Rapunzel, but I'm not the person he cares about most besides his father. That'd be miss cold and frosty with the creepy owl over there."
Cassandra stopped stroking Owl's feathers and asked, "Why me? I wasn't even such a great friend to the kid before he committed treason, why would I make a difference?"
"He looked up to you and cared about you so much Cassandra, he constantly tried to impress you. He even named an element after you! I think right now what he needs most is a letter from Cassie." Eugene reminded.
"I feel left out, Shorty..." Lance mumbled to the small man beside him in the background.
Cassandra was quiet for a long time. Just when they thought she might've fallen asleep, she uttered a single word, "Alright."
